ST. PETERSBURG -- After a rash of injuries ravaged the Rays' outfield, they finally got a piece back on Wednesday. Brandon Guyer was activated from the disabled list and started in right field for the finale vs. the Red Sox. He wasted no time getting back in the swing of things, homering in his first at-bat and adding an RBI double in the Rays' eventual 4-0 win.
"Obviously, very excited to have him back," manager Kevin Cash said. "He adds a different dimension to our lineup with his speed and the way he was swinging the bat before he got hurt. We're all thrilled to have him in there."
Guyer, who was out with a left hamstring strain, played three games for Class A Advanced Charlotte, finishing the rehab stint 2-for-12 with a double. Before going on the DL on June 4, he was batting .271 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in 40 games, but he had just one hit in the five games prior to his injury.
Guyer had been batting leadoff before his injury, a spot now occupied by a healthy Logan Forsythe.
"I thought it went good," Guyer said. "I got all the work. I'm ready to come back out."
Worth noting
• Taylor Motter started at first base for the first time in his MLB career on Wednesday. Cash said he needed to get Logan Morrison a day off, and that Motter has experience at the position from a season in the Dominican Winter League.
Motter took some ground balls there prior to Tuesday's game, and Cash said his footwork looked good and that he was comfortable playing him there.
• Oswaldo Arcia was a late scratch from the lineup on Wednesday due to illness. Nick Franklin took his spot in the lineup, but moved to left field. As a result, Guyer moved from left field to right.